Leicester school sites may be sold off for £1 to provide affordable housing

Former school sites worth about £250,000 are to be sold for nominal sums so they can be developed to provide affordable housing.

Leicester City Council says it wants to help the Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) build 32 homes by effectively giving it the land at what was Queensmead Junior School and Bendbow Rise Infant School, in Braunstone.

Both schools closed several years ago.

Assistant mayor for housing councillor Andy Connelly said the sites would probably be transferred for £1 each, in line with previously approved deals, to pave the way for new homes to be built.

He said: "I know some people have the view we are just giving sites away, but that is not how I look at it.

"This is our way in investing in the provision of affordable social housing in the city which is much needed.

"It is surplus land which we make available to housing associations, who then deliver the homes."

The council says the Queensmead site, off Hamelin Road, is worth £150,000 and the Bendbow Rise land worth £100,000.

Plans by NCHA to develop both sites are to be considered by the council's planning committee on Wednesday.

Planning officers have recommended both schemes be approved.

The Bendbow Rise site has been earmarked for 10 houses and a bungalow, but there have been objections from nearby residents.

A petition with the names of 17 objectors has been sent to planners along with two letters of concern.

There are fears two willow trees will be chopped down.

Ward councillor Wayne Naylor said: "Though I support the building of housing in the area, as the kind of housing proposed is greatly needed, I would like to see it with at least some green space being maintained where the willow trees are."

The Queensmead site would have 15 houses and six flats built on it.

The former school buildings were demolished after pupils and staff were relocated to new premises.

Earlier this year, council bosses agreed to sell a plot of land at Manor Farm,Hamilton, which was worth £650,000 for £1 so 15 affordable homes could be built

The council agreed the £1 sale of 13 acres of former allotment land off Saffron Lane so that 50 social homes could be built.

Under the terms of the deal, the city council will also contribute £197,200 to the scheme – cash it has made from selling council homes – and expects to pay about £308,000 towards the infrastructure works of the development. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has been criticised by both opposition and Labour members for agreeing to sell other council assets for £1.

The mayor approved the £1 sale of a £180,000 building in Highfields to the Pakistani Youth and Community Association, while indicating 20 similar transactions could be authorised.

He has also agreed to allow an arts charity to buy a £200,000 warehouse in the city's cultural quarter for £1 after it secured a £300,000 Arts Council grant to renovate the property.

Poor reporting yet again from Leicester Mercury - focusing on the £1 sales. You should have looked at the whole picture. The land is part of the Council's contribution to this scheme to provide more housing. Most local authorities can't build houses any more. They don't have the expertise and certainly don't have the capacity. This Tory government has seen to that! Housing Associations are the best way forward to make quick use of the land and provide new housing. Get a grip LM.

Actually sounds like a very sensible idea. The land is not being used, is probably too small for a major developer to be interested and it can provide much needed housing cheaper than it would be otherwise. I can't see what people are whingeing about.

heres an idea ... why not build some new council houses on the plots you already own then the rents you collect can go into the council and help pay back the build costs and have more homes for the people it aint rocket science !!!!

This is a disgusting abuse of power. Are the national government and the council's working together to rip off the people? Yet again I am stunned. We elect these people to act in our interests, not to continually act in the interest of big business.
It's true, we have a housing price problem, but that has been deliberately engineered by national government. When you drive down interest rates, and artificially hold them there, it holds up the housing market. Historically, house prices have been on a range of around three times that of a salary. First time buyers were your support base for when the inevitable cyclical downturn in house prices arrives. It has worked fairly well for a century. The current BoE interest zero interest rate policy has not allowed that to happen, and left first time buyers flailing in the wind. Especially when you consider wages have remained stagnant for 6 years. Just to add, these interest rate levels are 100% guaranteed to help banks structure their capital to a more healthy level.
To compound the matter, the council gifting away our assets is an absolute disgrace. They really don't seem to have any shame these people.